chapter

Developing a Policies and Procedures

Manual

22

Developing
a Policies
and Procedures
Manual

Boyd Epley, MEd, CSCS, FNSCA

John Taylor, MS; CSCS,*D; CP; FNSCA

Chapter Objectives
Develop goals and objectives of a strength
and conditioning program.
Define job duties of various strength and
conditioning positions.
Understand policies of a strength and conditioning facility that help to achieve the
goals and objectives.
Understand administrative decisions that
lead to a safe and effective program.
Create a policies and procedures manual.

Key Terms
policies: A facilitys rules and regulations; they
reflect the goals and objectives of the program.
procedures: Procedures describe how policies
are met or carried out.

Section Outline
Mission Statement and Program Goals

Mission Statement
and Program Goals
Suggested criteria for an effective mission
statement (according to the Drucker Foundation):

Is short and sharply focused

Is clear and easily understood
Defines why we do what we do; why the organization exists
Does not prescribe means
Is sufficiently broad
Provides direction for doing the right things
Addresses our opportunities
Matches our competence
Inspires our commitment
Says what, in the end, we want to be remembered for

Mission Statement
and Program Goals
The following is an example of a holistic
mission statement of a strength and
conditioning program:
To provide to athletes the means by which they
can train consistently, sensibly, and systematically
over designated periods of time in a safe, clean,
and professional environment to help prevent
injury and improve athletic performance.

Key Point
A mission statement provides focus, direction, and a sense of purpose for a strength
and conditioning program. The most foundational goal of a strength and conditioning
program is to improve athletic performance.

Section Outline
Program Objectives

Program Objectives
Following is a sample list of objectives to
reach program goals:
Design and administer strength, flexibility, aerobic,
plyometric, and other training programs that reduce
the likelihood of injuries and improve athletic
performance.
Develop training programs based on biomechanical
and physiological differences among individual
athletes, taking into consideration their ages, sex,
training status, physical limitations, and injury status.
(continued)

Program Objectives
Following is a sample list of objectives to
reach program goals (continued):
Recognize acute and chronic physiological
responses and adaptations and their implications
for the design of sport-specific training programs.
Educate athletes on the importance of good nutrition
and its role in health and performance.
Educate athletes about the effects of performanceenhancing substances and their abuse, relevant
school policy, legislation, and safe and viable
alternatives.

Section Outline
Job Titles, Descriptions, and Duties
of the Strength and Conditioning Staff
Strength and Conditioning Director (Head Strength
and Conditioning Professional)
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Professional
Facility Supervisor

Job Titles, Descriptions, and Duties

of the Strength and Conditioning Staff
Job responsibilities vary according to the
institution.
Consult the Strength and Conditioning
Professionals Standards and Guidelines
manual when developing job descriptions
and responsibilities.

Job Titles, Descriptions, and Duties

of the Strength and Conditioning Staff
Strength and conditioning practitioners
should

achieve and maintain professional certifications,

meet continuing education requirements,
follow a code of ethics, and
consider obtaining the CSCS credential offered
through the NSCA Certification Commission.

Job Titles, Descriptions, and Duties

of the Strength and Conditioning Staff
Certified Strength and Conditioning
Specialists
apply foundational knowledge to assess, motivate,
educate, and train athletes for the primary goal of
improving sports performance;
conduct sport-specific testing sessions;
design and implement safe and effective strength
training and conditioning programs;
provide guidance about nutrition and injury
prevention; and
refer athletes when appropriate.

Job Titles, Descriptions, and Duties

of the Strength and Conditioning Staff
Strength and Conditioning Director (Head
Strength and Conditioning Professional)
This person is responsible for the overall strength
and conditioning program, facility, equipment, staff,
and such administrative tasks as preparing a
budget, purchasing equipment, preparing proposals,
and working with the school administration and
media.

Job Titles, Descriptions, and Duties

of the Strength and Conditioning Staff
Assistant Strength and Conditioning
Professional
This person is responsible for many of the same
duties as the director but is usually only directly
responsible for a limited number of teams, not the
whole program.

Job Titles, Descriptions, and Duties

of the Strength and Conditioning Staff
Facility Supervisor
This person is usually a part-time staff member,
often an exercise science student, who is responsible for observing activities within the strength and
conditioning facility and cleaning and maintaining its
equipment.
Also assists the director and the assistant strength
coaches when necessary.

Key Point
The roles and responsibilities of strength
and conditioning staff members should be
distinct and clearly communicated.

Section Outline
Staff Policies and Activities

Orientation Meeting
Annual Plan
Budgetary Issues
Staff Facility Use
Staff Workout Times
Relationships With Athletes and Other Staff
Members
(continued)

Section Outline (continued)

Staff Policies and Activities

Staff Professional Goals

Posted Messages and Signs
Touring the Strength and Conditioning Facility
Approved Exercises, Techniques, Spotting
Guidelines, and Safety Equipment
Testing Procedures and Schedule
Workout Sheet
Records and Awards

Staff Policies and Activities

Orientation Meeting
Held at the beginning of the school year or sport
season, for athletes and coaches
Director provides phone numbers and explains
services, training schedules, facility rules,
disciplinary action, awards, and emergency
procedures

Staff Policies and Activities

Annual Plan
Allows the strength and conditioning professional to
foresee and plan for upcoming projects
An approach to creating the first annual plan:

List projects in advance for all 12 months.

Include special events and a list of to dos for each month.
Identify which staff member should handle which project.
Prioritize the list.
Discuss or cover the list with the staff.
Review the month when it is over.
Update the list for next year.

Staff Policies and Activities

Budgetary Issues
The strength and conditioning professional should be prepared
to provide the athletic director with the strength and conditioning budget, including new equipment needed.

Staff Facility Use

The director and assistant strength and conditioning professionals typically have full access within their discretion.

Staff Workout Times

If possible, staff should work out when sport teams are not in
the facility. Staff should never work out when a team for which
that staff member is responsible is training.

Staff Policies and Activities

Relationships With Athletes and Other Staff
Members
Refrain from having personal relationships with athletes or
other staff members.
Refer distressed athletes to an appropriate professionaldo
not attempt to provide counseling.

Staff Professional Goals

Continuing education is a necessary part of maintaining
certification and reducing liability exposure. All staff should
make a daily effort to increase their knowledge.

Posted Messages and Signs

Post updated notices on a central bulletin board.

Staff Policies and Activities

Touring the Strength and Conditioning Facility
Large groups/general public
Guests of the athletic director or strength coach
Recruits or other special guests

Approved Exercises, Techniques, Spotting

Guidelines, and Safety Equipment
For each exercise on sport teams workout sheets, the director
should provide instruction on how the technique should be
taught to athletes.
All training programs designed by staff should be kept on file.
All staff members should be willing to spot when necessary.

Staff Policies and Activities

Testing Procedures and Schedule
Plan at the beginning of each semester or sport
season
At the very least, the strength and conditioning staff
needs to do the following:
Determine the overall testing schedule based on number of
athletes and available staff.
Reserve the facility (if applicable).
Notify the athletes and coaches of the dates and times of
testing.
Prepare the facility and equipment for testing.
(continued)

Staff Policies and Activities

Testing Procedures and Schedule
At the very least, the strength and conditioning staff
needs to do the following (continued):
Notify the school sports information department of dates,
times, location, and so on, so that video or photos can be
taken of new records or selected performers (if applicable).
Develop data collection sheets for each athlete.
Explain to the athletes any safety tips, scoring methods for
tests, traffic flow procedures, and practice opportunities.

Staff Policies and Activities

Workout Sheet
Workout sheets are created by different processes, depending
on the program.
All staff members should be familiar with all exercises on the
sheet and should advise the athlete not to perform exercises
that are not listed.

Records and Awards

Develop a strategy for encouraging optimal performance and
rewarding accomplishment and effort.
Awards that go only to a few should be balanced with ways in
which other athletes are rewarded.

Key Point
Adherence to a facilitys written policies and
procedures is integral to the achievement of
the strength and conditioning programs
goals and objectives.

Section Outline
Facility Administration
Access to and Supervision of the Facility
Preparticipation Requirement for Student-Athletes
Eligibility Criteria
Action for an Ineligible Person

Telephone and Music System Use

Facility Rules and Guidelines
Emergency Procedures

Building Evacuation Plan

Accidents and Injuries
Fire
Tornadoes and Severe Weather
First Aid Kit

Facility Administration
Access to and Supervision of the Facility
Preparticipation Requirement for Student-Athletes
Before an athlete is allowed access to the strength and
conditioning facility, preparticipation screening and
clearance must be required.

Facility Administration
Access to and Supervision of the Facility
Eligibility Criteria
Full- or part-time student-athletes participating in an athletic
department-sponsored sport
Incoming and just-transferred student-athletes who have
registered for school and have confirmation of team status
as designated by the head sport coach
Students in physical education classes
(continued)

Facility Administration
Access to and Supervision of the Facility
Eligibility Criteria (continued)
All athletic department coaching and administrative staff
All sports medicine department staff
Alumni athletes who participated in an athletic departmentsponsored sport and completed their eligibility
Individuals and groups approved by the athletic director or
strength and conditioning director

Facility Administration
Access to and Supervision of the Facility
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria to determine whether outside organizations can use
the facility include the following:
Use must be preapproved by the athletic director.
Use must be preapproved by the strength and conditioning
director.
The program or session must be supervised by strength and
conditioning department staff.
The program or session must be scheduled during off-hours
when athletes are not present.
(continued)

Facility Administration
Access to and Supervision of the Facility
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria to determine whether outside organizations can use
the facility include the following (continued):
The individual or organization must supply written proof of
additional liability insurance.
All participants must sign a release agreement form.
All participants must follow the rules and regulations of the
strength and conditioning facility.
The athletic director and the strength and conditioning director
have the right to limit an individuals or groups access, if
warranted.

Facility Administration
Access to and Supervision of the Facility
Action for an Ineligible Person
If a person who has not been approved for access is in the
facility, it is the staffs duty to explain the eligibility criteria to
that person.
Student facility supervisors should not attempt to determine
the eligibility status of a person who wants to access the
facility.

Facility Administration
Telephone and Music System Use
Telephone should be used only by staff.
The music system should be operated only by staff,
who should control the music selection unless a
consensus can be reached by sport teams training.

Facility Rules and Guidelines

Rules should be posted and enforced. The director
may want to require athletes to sign and date a copy
of the rules to acknowledge that they understand
and agree to them.

Facility Administration
Facility Rules and Guidelines
Disciplinary actions
First offense: a verbal warning by a staff member, an
explanation of the nature and importance of the rule or
guideline that was broken, and a reminder of the
disciplinary action that will result from a second offense
Second offense: dismissal from the facility for one day,
documentation of the offense by the staff member,
correspondence with the athletes sport coach, and a
reminder of the disciplinary action that will result from a
third offense
(continued)

Facility Administration
Facility Rules and Guidelines
Disciplinary actions (continued)
Third offense: dismissal from the facility for one week,
documentation of the offense by the staff member,
correspondence with the athletes sport coach, and a
reminder of the disciplinary action that will result from
a fourth offense
(continued)

Facility Administration
Facility Rules and Guidelines
Disciplinary actions (continued)
Fourth offense: dismissal from the facility for the remainder
of the year, documentation of the offense by the staff
member, correspondence with the athletes sport coach
and the athletic director, and a reminder of the disciplinary
action that will result from a fifth offense
Fifth offense: permanent dismissal from the facility,
documentation of the offense by the staff member, and
correspondence with athletes sport coach and the athletic
director

Facility Administration
Emergency Procedures
Building Evacuation Plan
Emergency plans should be rehearsed on a regular basis.

Accidents and Injuries

In case of accident, notify the director, sports medicine
department, and campus security (if applicable).
If there is any question about the severity of the injury, do
not hesitate to call the emergency response number.

Facility Administration
Emergency Procedures
Fire
Staff should know the location of the fire extinguisher in
case of a small, contained fire.
In case of a larger fire, staff should pull the alarm and
evacuate the building according to the evacuation plan.

Tornadoes and Severe Weather

It is the staffs responsibility, with direction from campus
security, to determine what to do and where to go during
severe weather.

Facility Administration
Emergency Procedures
First Aid Kit
Staff should know the location of the first aid kit.
It is the staffs responsibility to make sure that the first aid
kit has the materials necessary to deal with all types of
injuries.